Thursday, January 22
FASHION: Fashion bloggers from around the city will be at the Blogger Scene’s winter cocktail party at the Gryphon—you can win prizes from Nordstrom, South Moon Under, Uncork’d, the Maxwell, and more, and bloggers from Ally Cog, It’s Julien, Miss Lyle Style, and the Fashionably Broke will be around to answer questions and talk about what they do. Admission includes one cocktail. $10. 7 PM.
DODGEBALL: If you can dodge a wrench, you can . . . well, you know. It’s dodgeball season in Crystal City, and Capital Dodgeball is having an open-play event at the Crystal Gateway Sport & Health. That means you can throw dodgeballs at people’s faces and have them thrown back at you, which is both a good workout and a good way to examine your vulnerability and mortality, or something. Free. 7 PM.
Friday, January 23
EAT: It’s Alexandria Restaurant Week, which means more than 60 restaurants in the area are serving up $35 dinners for two or $35 three-course meals. Lunch specials can be as low as $10, which means it’s probably time for you to take a ride out there and try something new. For tips on how to get the best deals, check out Best Bites Blog’s expert guide.
CARTOONS: DC’s best political cartoon festival returns to the Ritz-Carlton. Every year, the country’s most biting political cartoons are displayed in the hotel for one night only—this time, the works of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Toles, who has spent much of the last few years working for the Washington Post, will exhibit his works and answer questions about them. The journo band Suspicious Package—made up of Toles, reporters from Time, and several government workers—will also perform. Tickets ($20) are available online. 8 PM.
DANCE: Black Cat hosts Kicks! a night of rock-and-roll, power pop, punk music, and other things you don’t normally get to dance to unless you’re being pushed around by some teenagers in a mosh pit. The crowd skews more civil here, so you should be good. Free. 10 PM.
Saturday, January 24
NERD THINGS: Magfest—a.k.a. the Music and Gaming Festival—is back at National Harbor for a three-day run. It’s one of the area’s nerdiest events—expect Magic the Gathering, old-school arcade games, and music based on both of those (plus lots of other, similar gaming things, of course). Tickets ($40) are available online. All day (Friday through Monday).
DANCE: If you long for music from between one and two decades ago, DC is probably the place to be—there are ’90s and ’00s dance nights seemingly every weekend. Hot in Herre, featuring U Street Music Hall’s Will Eastman and his partner in deejaying old music crime, Brian Billion, is certainly one of the best. Check out the 2000s dance party, probably featuring lots of Nelly music, at the 9:30 Club. Tickets ($15) are available online. 9 PM.
DANCE: Speaking of old music, Black Cat hosts Cryfest, a the Cure vs. the Smiths dance party, which you should check out if you like dancing while also being sad. Tickets ($10) are available online. 9:30 PM.
SOUP: Next week is the Super Bowl, so this week Waterfront Station hosts the SOUP-er Bowl. There’ll be chili and soup tastings from around the city, live music, and a beer garden with a football lounge streaming highlights from Super Bowls past. Free. 1 to 4 PM.
Sunday, January 25
YOGA: Yoga, food, and alcohol don’t necessarily go all that well together, but if you do them in the right order (yoga first, of course), they can. Try it out at Grip the Mat’s Bendy Brunch, where you’ll do yoga for an hour, then eat food prepared by Spike Mendelsohn and sip mimosas. Yum. Tickets ($53) are available online. 10:30 AM.
WEDDINGS: Getting married? Wishfully thinking you might? Just like dreaming? Head to Washingtonian Bride & Groom‘s Unveiled event, our annual ultimate wedding showcase at the Fairmont in Georgetown. Saks Jandel presents an Oscar de la Renta runway show, and there will be florists, photographers, cakes, Champagne, caterers, musicians, makeup and hair artists, and everything else you need to have the perfect wedding. Tickets ($65) are available online. 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM.
Know of something cool going on around town? E-mail Jason Koebler at jasontpkoebler@gmail.com, or find him on Twitter at @jason_koebler.
